Jake Price's Tuesday Cheltenham Festival Day One Tips

OLD PARK STAR 1pt Win

Best price 11/4 at the time of publishing.

The best week of the year is finally here! I am buzzing to be in Cheltenham all week, and we kick off the 2026 Festival with a bang thanks to an above average looking Supreme. Now it would certainly be hard for me to have a strong opinion in this race considering the depth, but I thought that OLD PARK STAR was worth a play on the basis that he could genuinely be a superstar on the basis of the visual impression he has made on his previous two starts.

Nicky Henderson is no stranger to Supreme success with the likes of Altior, Shishkin and Constitution Hill all coming into this race with stand-out British credentials, and this lad looks cut from a similar mould in terms of the visual impression he has made. On debut he won easily at Kempton, and in December he destroyed a decent enough looking field when winning by 12 lengths on the New Course.

It was his performance in the Grade 2 Rossington Main which impressed me and probably everyone else most however, as after a couple of slaps down the neck from Nico de Boinville turning for home, he shot away from his rivals. The fact that he was able to maintain that gallop all the way to the line highlights him as an extremely above average Novice, and Hurricane Pat (136) who was beaten 18 lengths into second isn’t exactly a mug himself having been a previous Listed winner.

Might Park could be absolutely anything following his one Maiden Hurdle victory which saw him win by half the track, but with experience on side, I am hoping to get off to a perfect start with the Nicky Henderson favourite.

GLEN TO GLEN 0.5pts EW (5 Places)

Best price 10/1 at the time of publishing.

SARATOGA [1pt Win @ 14/1 Ante-Post]

I will start in the Fred Winter by saying that I already have a live position here, having put up SARATOGA at 14/1 in my Cheltenham Festival Ante-Post column. I am still very keen on his chances for this race as he qualified for this by having three runs within 38 days from the 31st December through to the 7th February, and that latest effort at Naas came in the infamous Fred Winter trial. Getting so close to Highland Crystal (138) but crucially not winning gives him a huge chance here off 130, and Mark Walsh has been booked to ride. If you’re not on Ante-Post, I would still recommend a 1pt win bet at his current price.

Away from the Padraig Roche favourite I do want to have one more horse on side however, and that is GLEN TO GLEN, trained by Joseph O’Brien. Another recruit off the Flat where he ran eight times and peaked at a rating of 90, he has already shown good temperament to handle big fields – winning a 13 runner Maiden and placing third in a 16 runner 1m2f Handicap at Leopardstown.

He went Jumping in November where he was given two quiet enough rides behind Barbizon (134) and then Quinta Do Lago (128), but both runs at Navan and Limerick were very much educational spins, teaching him to settle and jump in amongst horses. That type of education is invaluable going into the hustle and bustle of a maximum field Fred Winter.

The main reason why he is a bet here though is based on his run at Cork in December, where he was let off the leash somewhat. Racing prominently throughout on this occasion, he put in his best round of jumping yet. Challenging for the lead going down to the last he was still behind final flight faller Manoir De Mirande, but he was staying on strongly, and he picked up the pieces to beat Ole Ole (128) by a cosy length.

Connections have left GLEN TO GLEN off the track since that qualifying win 93 days ago, with connections citing that they have very much trained him specifically for the Fred Winter. Joseph obviously has a fantastic record in the race having won 3 of the last 7 renewals, and to me this is his best chance. He has been given a mark of 129 by the British assessor, but there is only 10lbs between top and bottom weight in this fiercely competitive affair.

HYLAND 0.5pts EW (6 Places)

Best price 11/1 at the time of publishing.

KONFUSION [1pt EW @ 20/1 Ante-Post]

I am not very keen on the front of the market in the Ultima, and you can make some valid reasoning to take on each respective horse. Jagwar is trying 3m1f for the first time which simply cannot be a positive, for all that he could improve. Iroko runs off 157 and surely is making the weights for his stablemate whilst having a spin in preparation for the Grand National, whilst Quebecois had a very rushed preparation for this – having to run over 2m½f at Newbury 21 days ago to qualify.

I don’t really see a world in which Handstands can be well handicapped off a mark of 155 following a very disappointing campaign, and whilst he could run well considering the stable confidence behind him, I see him as more of a place proposition; like a Fastorslow or Vinndication in years gone by. Last year’s winner Myretown could be dangerous if he put everything together again, but he has become extremely hard to trust this season with a fall, a race ending mistake, and a pulled-up effort to his name.

Instead then the first one I want to back at the prices is HYLAND, for whom the quicker ground has come up perfectly for. As a Novice Chaser last season he won twice over what is essentially this course and distance, including when giving Resplendent Grey (153) 3lbs in a Listed race at the November meeting. His run behind The Jukebox Man in the Grade 1 Kauto Star Novices’ Chase is also there for all to see, and back at Kempton he was sent off 11/4f to win the Ladbrokes Trophy when only bested by a runaway Katate Dori.

In order to be the price he is now in the Ultima things clearly haven’t gone to plan with him since however, starting with the Grand National where he didn’t stay that marathon trip. Coming into this season it was all about the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury however, and despite running in a very suitable race over this course and distance in October, he drifted out to an SP of 11/2 and very much shaped as if he needed it when finishing in midfield.

The whole Newbury plan nearly went out of the window for him in the buildup due to rain, but with the official description reading ‘Good to Soft’ he took his chance – and he certainly didn’t disgrace himself in seventh despite the ground certainly not being perfect for him. Conditions were much more like it at Ascot just before Christmas however, and this time he was only beaten a length and a half by Deep Cave. You would have to note that his jumping completely fell apart however, and had it been better, he may well have beaten the reopposing Leave Of Absence and Johnnywho.

Connections have left him off the track since in a quest for better ground, and another huge positive is the fact that connections reach for first-time cheekpieces, which should help to just sharpen up his jumping. Wearing headgear is actually big trend in the Ultima too, with 8 of the last 10 winners sporting some sort of equipment. Nicky Henderson is also flying along heading into Cheltenham Festival week.

My other selection is one that I put up in my Cheltenham Festival Ante-Post Column, and that is KONFUSION for the Joel Parkinson and Sue Smith team. I still think he has strong claims in a race like this if he is able to handle the track, and he has already bolted up in two Premier Handicap Chases this season. His run in the Peter Marsh suggested there is more to come despite his new mark of 145, and therefore he looks well worth having on side. I certainly wouldn’t suggest going in again if you are already on, but for those who are not yet on, I would advise a 0.5pts Each/Way stake to match that of Hyland.

LOSSIEMOUTH 2pts Win

Best price 2/1 at the time of publishing.

LOSSIEMOUTH [1pt Win @ 4/1 Ante-Post]

The correct decision for National Hunt Racing has been made. LOSSIEMOUTH will run in the Champion Hurdle, and I cannot wait to see it!

This really is not the strongest Champion Hurdle we will ever see, with the likes of State Man, Sir Gino and Constitution Hill all unfortunately falling by the wayside this season, but the classiest horse in the race for me is easily the Willie Mullins Mare, and she will take all of the beating in receipt of the 7lbs – especially as The New Lion is a horse I have been against for this race all season, and I don’t think he has done anything in the interim period to prove he is up to this level over two miles.

LOSSIEMOUTH is two from three in the Irish Trials having won both the Morgiana and December Hurdle, and she comes into this race on the back of the Dublin Racing Festival where she was second to Brighterdaysahead in the Irish Champion Hurdle. I don’t believe that the Rich Ricci Mare was 100% right that day however, and more so her Cheltenham record of being 4/4 at the track suggests she will be an entirely different proposition on Tuesday – vastly contrasting to Gordon Elliott’s Mare who is 0/2 at Presbury Park, excuses or not.

Many people are quick to say that she isn’t a two miler, but that is nonsense to me considering good horses can win over any trip, and she has shown on multiple occasions that she is more than capable of winning over two. To alleviate those concerns even further connections have decided to chuck cheek-pieces on, and that should just help to sharpen her up. She will take all the beating here under Paul Townend.

I have previously recommended LOSSIEMOUTH in my Cheltenham Festival Ante-Post column, so if you already have 1pt at 4/1, on then I would top up now to make it a 2pt Win bet in total. If you are not on Ante-Post, I am recommending a 2pt Win bet at the current price available.

DOWN MEMORY LANE 0.5pts EW (5 Places) 

Best price 10/1 at the time of publishing.

I may well be over complicating the Plate, but I don’t really see much value in either Madara or McLaurey at their current prices available. Both have seemingly been plotted up for this race, but equally they are very obvious, and perhaps one with a more concealed profile is Gordon Elliott’s DOWN MEMORY LANE.

Now I will start off by saying off a mark of 152 he is not exactly screamingly well handicapped, but I would counter that point with the fact that this looks a very weak renewal of the Plate – with the likes of Will The Wise, Booster Bob, No Questions Asked and Zurich surrounding him the market surely all beatable propositions.

This 8yo was a smart Novice Chaser last season, bolting up on debut at Navan last November when fresh, before then finishing third in the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown when sent off 2/1 second favourite. Everything just looked to develop a shade quickly for him over the shorter trip that day, but it was still a good effort when staying on strongly behind much quicker types L’Eau Du Sud (163) and Touch Me Not (155).

His next start was going to see him give subsequent Brown Advisory winner Lecky Watson (155) a race in the 2m3½f Grade 3 Novice Chase at Punchestown, but a mistake at the final fence cost him any chance of that happening, and instead he had to settle for second place. He finished campaign at Fairyhouse in the Grade 1 WillowWarm Gold Cup, but never got involved having drifted markedly.

Everything looked set for him to have a big chance in the Galway Plate when connections sent him off a well fancied 7/1 shot in July, but he ultimately disappointed again. If you look back at the race report he had a genuine excuse however, with the vet reporting that the gelding had mucus in the system.

Returning to action in December after a 129-day break, he ran in the Listed Foxrock Handicap Chase at Navan, and this is the day where everything clicked for him. Ridden by Jack Kennedy, he was given an extremely patient ride – and he arrived on the scene hard on the bridle. In the end all Jack had to do was push him out hands and heels to record a 1.5 length success over Search For Glory (145), and as such his 7lbs Irish rise to 151 does not look to have been harshly punished by the BHA’s assessment of only raising him a further pound.

Seemingly connections have cottoned on to the fact that this 8yo is seen to best effect when fresh, as his record when returning after a 98+ day break reads 111401, and I am hoping they are attempting to repeat the trick in the Plate by keeping him off the course since that Navan success. With Jack Kennedy booked to ride again, he looks to have very solid claims for such an under-the-radar horse, for whom there was zero noise on the Cheltenham Preview circuit.

NEWTON TORNADO 1pt Win

Best price 5/1 at the time of publishing.

NETWON TORNADO [1pt Win @ 14/1 Ante-Post]

This is another race where I have a live Ante-Post position, having backed NEWTON TORNADO at 14/1 in my Cheltenham Festival Ante-Post column. Unlike with previous bets where I have suggested only backing now if you are not already on Ante-Post however, I am quite keen to go in again on this lad as he looks to have outstanding claims.

When making his Chase debut at Cheltenham in October he was showing to handle the fences without a bother when putting in a brilliant round of jumping out in front, but going down to the third last he just made a novicey error and came down. Thankfully he learnt plenty from that however, and subsequently went to Bangor where he bolted up over three miles.

He again was seen making a costly error over fences at Newbury in December when quickly pulled up by Ben Jones, but thankfully that was only a precaution and everything was fine with the horse. Despite two non-finishes due to errors his jumping is by in large very good, and it very much is a case

of him being a good jumper until he isn’t – but hopefully he has done enough learning now to not repeat those antics on Tuesday.

By far his best performance to date came when last seen at Doncaster though, where he was running off a mark of 127 in a 3m Novice Handicap Chase. Dylan Johnston rode him that day and got him settled behind horses, but he was travelling so strongly that he hit the front before they turned for home. In the end he came home to win as he liked in what was an impressive performance, and the clock agreed too as the time recorded was quicker than the prior Great Yorkshire Premier Handicap Chase.

A 6lbs rise to a mark of 133 looks very fair to me, and what’s more is that the fairly distant second Chasingouttheblues (122) and third Noble Park (129) have both subsequently won Handicap Chases. Rebecca Curtis won this race last year with the very similarly profiled Haiti Couleurs, and whilst I am not saying this lad will turn out to be as good as his stablemate, there is surely further improvement to come now upped in trip to 3m6f. Sean Flanagan is an eye-catching jockey booking too.

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